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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

University life for our soon to be Year 2 undergrads (2019 intake): social bubbles (bursting?), the new normal and hopefully no second wave

975 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 04/06/2020 11:39

Previous thread

OP posts:
mum2eim · 02/07/2020 14:57

@bigTillyMint that sounds perfect a Monday to Thursday job Smile
A lot of DDs housemates are arriving tomorrow and next week but she’s heading back Home tomorrow. Fortunately one of them is arriving today and so she will get to see him at least and help move his stuff.

bigTillyMint · 02/07/2020 15:05

Yes @mum2eim, it does Grin Plus it’s 8.30 to 3.30!
He has to get the train back though as the others are planning to stay the week and he needs to be back for work, but he doesn’t mind as he’s so pleased to have the job!

Benjispruce · 02/07/2020 16:33

@minesawine that was me, glad it’s working for your DS. DD did one on lessons learnt from the Ebola outbreak. Ties in with the biological side of her Anthropology course. Like you say, will be great for their CV and or LinkedIn profile.

Benjispruce · 02/07/2020 16:34

Good news on the job @bigTillyMint.

bigTillyMint · 02/07/2020 16:57

Yes @Benjispruce, by a spot of luck he’s got the perfect job for him Grin

simbobs · 02/07/2020 17:10

I hadn't heard of these summer courses but will look into them. I doubt I will get DS to do any study, though. Perhaps when he first came home, but now he seems to be fully in summer holiday mode and is disinclined to do much other than socialise, even at a slight distance. I really want him to get a job but he hasn't found anything that can fit around his friendship group. He has no work ethic whatsoever.

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 18:15

One of DS's housemates has pulled out. She hasn't told him, he just saw her asking for anyone to replace her...

Ragwort · 02/07/2020 20:04

Can't imagine my DS doing the Harvard course, but he is working hard at his factory job (10 hours a day Grin) so I suppose I should be grateful for that.

He's definitely going back to NTU, did consider deferring for a year but decided to return thank goodness. All getting a bit stressful now, I appreciate it's hard to be back at home after being independent at Uni but this is going to be a long six months .....

Ginfordinner · 02/07/2020 21:25

That's a shame @Piggywaspushed. Did she not put it on the group chat?

We took DD to her year 2 house today. She seems to have landed on her feet compared to some year 2 houses I have read about on Facebook. The landlord has had the place cleaned, and is currently having most of the carpets replaced. The area is really nice as well.

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 21:29

I don't really know how DS knows! He doesn't like her anyway but am worried about her rent.

Ginfordinner · 02/07/2020 21:34

Thta's annoying. Why did she drop out?

Piggywaspushed · 02/07/2020 21:44

I think she has dropped out altogether. She was the one they added to their group because they couldn't get a 3 bed house. I just hope the responsibility doesn't fall on DS to sort it out!

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 02/07/2020 22:06

@Ginfordinner glad to hear your DD's accommodation passes muster.

Sorry to hear about the drop out in your DS's house @Piggywaspushed. What a PITA.

OP posts:
Monkey2001 · 02/07/2020 22:30

@Piggywaspushed there are usually people wanting/offering accommodation on The Student Room - might be worth looking there to see if they can find someone if there are no obvious candidates.

It is difficult for these "almost-grown-up" kids to know how to manage accommodation contracts, not helped by the fact that they often have to find the house in their first term. My DS hoping to stay in uni accommodation for his second year.

Decorhate · 03/07/2020 08:06

That’s a pain @Piggywaspushed
Ds has had a similar issue in his house but luckily the girl who dropped out has found someone to replace her & the group have had a zoom chat with him. The girl who dropped out was the one liaising with the landlord so perhaps had more reason to feel obliged to sort it out!

MrKlaw · 03/07/2020 09:54

@Decorhate if you have any overflow let me know - we had one drop out of DS shared house for year 2 in Bath so they're looking.

bigTillyMint · 03/07/2020 10:20

@Ginfordinner, she’s innNewcastle isn’t she? My DGodD has a really nice house last year and DS said much nicer than ones he’s seen/is moving into today in Durham!

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 03/07/2020 10:22

Newcastle has probably got a much broader spectrum (in terms of quality) of student rentals than Durham which is a very small city indeed, isn't it?

OP posts:
Ginfordinner · 03/07/2020 10:49

That's right @bigTillyMint. I have been in loads of student houses in my time and I can't believe how nice this one is.

It isn't perfect. DD has the smallest room, even tinier than her room in halls, and there are a few niggles, but apparently the landlord has said that wait until everyone has arrived and send him a list of what needs doing.

The shelf in DD's room is hanging off the wall, a couple of the gas rings on the (Rangemaster stove complete with wok burner!) don't work, the kettle doesn't work and a couple of the plastic shelves in one of the fridges are broken. I have photographic evidence of all of these, but I'm fairly confident that the landlord will put these right.

DD said that the living room was a horrible shade of green when they viewed the house, but it has been repainted. The bathroom on DD's floor looks like it has recently been replaced, and has a double walk in shower and a bath! The wooden kitchen work surfaces have been re-varnished, I think the cooker hood has been replaced judging by the dust on the hob (everywhere else in the kitchen is spotless because I started to clean it and found that it didn't need doing!), so I am optimistic about the other issues being sorted.

DD and her friends aren't the sort to trash a place. It being one of the reasons they all wanted to share because they wanted to get away from their skanky flatmates in halls.

Decorhate · 03/07/2020 11:31

@MrKlaw If they are not averse to sharing with a 3rd year, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are lots who were due to do a placement year which is not not feasible, who won’t have been expecting to need accommodation in Bath this year

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 06/07/2020 09:35

13 universities face closure (DM article)

OP posts:
Ginfordinner · 06/07/2020 10:29

It's on the BBC news as well, so the DM aren't making it up.

Also England has temporarily banned unconditional conditional offers

I wonder if some of the universities on this list are some of the 13 universities mentioned above.

ifonly4 · 06/07/2020 10:52

DD has a university landlord. They've been given the option to cancel their lease for next year. Makes us wonder what do they know, that the students don't. Alongside this Students Union believe there will be no direct contact in the first term. She doesn't know what to do for the best as she has a job here and can continue on reduced hours. One of her friends is talking about pulling out so they don't know who else they'll be living with. They have individual room leases - the room but joint use of kitchen, hall and bathroom.

Monkey2001 · 06/07/2020 11:46

Re university closure, it is difficult to separate rumour and fact. The UCAS stats published a week or so ago showed that firmed numbers were actually up, both for home and overseas students. Does this "study" really supersede the FACTS published by UCAS?

Itscoldouthere · 06/07/2020 15:34

Just looked up the report mentioned www.ifs.org.uk/publications/14919
It doesn’t name which 13 universities but does seem to indicate 10 are in England.
There are lots of charts and graphs ( which I’m afraid I didn’t understand) but interesting.
Covid has made life difficult in so many ways and it’s effect is so far reaching, many more uncertainties for us l’d say.